Say, small snake on your shoulder, could it attack or does it need to "ride" on my shoulders and take skills in ride or some other nonsense ?
Basically, you're a lousy mount, so the snake would probably be treated as having squeezing penalties (and possibly causing you the same) if it was trying to fight while staying on your shoulders.
(Same as if a halfing was trying to fight while piggybacking on you.)
An Int 3 snake learning ranks in ride sounds like a pretty adorable solution, though it's going to have like a -10 penalty on its checks if you don't set up sort of "saddle" (or harness) for it to be using.
Tiny companions can share your space but usually lack the reach to attack adjacent spaces (some exceptions exist). Small companions can generally reach adjacent spaces but cannot share your space (unless you are Huge or larger).
I'm not a fan of using the Ride skill to ride people. At all. The first sentence of the skill says "You are skilled at riding mounts..." People are not mounts. Riding implies using special signals to control a trained mount - I doubt a snake on your shoulder is signaling you to control your actions.
The whole idea of using the Ride skill to put something (often a person but also often an animal or monster) onto another person (often a PC) is just gaming the system to get two creatures that should not occupy the same space to break that rule and occupy the same space.
That said, it seems that logically you SHOULD be able to carry a small snake and it SHOULD be able to strike an adjacent square while remaining in yours. The RAW doesn't really support rules for doing this, even though it seems it should be possible.
As a GM, I'd usually allow stuff like this by just ignoring the RAW. I wouldn't require ranks in Ride because that's not what the skill is for. Then I might impose penalties, such as a -4 on the snake's attack rolls because it's not used to clinging to a moving target and biting its enemies (it either does this from the ground or from stationary tree limbs, not from moving people who are actively in combat). All house rules to make this idea playable because it makes sense.
Tiny companions can share your space but usually lack the reach to attack adjacent spaces (some exceptions exist). Small companions can generally reach adjacent spaces but cannot share your space (unless you are Huge or larger).
I'm not a fan of using the Ride skill to ride people. At all. The first sentence of the skill says "You are skilled at riding mounts..." People are not mounts. Riding implies using special signals to control a trained mount - I doubt a snake on your shoulder is signaling you to control your actions.
The whole idea of using the Ride skill to put something (often a person but also often an animal or monster) onto another person (often a PC) is just gaming the system to get two creatures that should not occupy the same space to break that rule and occupy the same space.
That said, it seems that logically you SHOULD be able to carry a small snake and it SHOULD be able to strike an adjacent square while remaining in yours. The RAW doesn't really support rules for doing this, even though it seems it should be possible.
As a GM, I'd usually allow stuff like this by just ignoring the RAW. I wouldn't require ranks in Ride because that's not what the skill is for. Then I might impose penalties, such as a -4 on the snake's attack rolls because it's not used to clinging to a moving target and biting its enemies (it either does this from the ground or from stationary tree limbs, not from moving people who are actively in combat). All house rules to make this idea playable because it makes sense.
That is why your snake invests into a military saddle to properly ride his HOOman.
Make the AC have to take Undersized Mount. It's the closest thing we have that allow you to ride a mount that's not suited for you.
|
Opinion here... Since part of being in a fight involves movement of your entire body and many subtle shifts in your position (You are not just standing there flat footed), it might make sense to only allow the AC to make AoO. The idea being that if someone comes into striking range and is being reckless, they risk being bitten by the snake.
My 2 CP
So if there is no rule for it when it's simply a question of whether it's alowed or not by the GM.
Actually, the rules seem to disallow it - see my post above: the AC is either too big to share your space or too small to reach an adjacent square. If you somehow fix those issues, like having a tiny companion with reach, or YOU are tiny, or some other way to share space with a small (or larger) companion, then it should not be a problem.
Arguably, Ride might be a solution but not at my table, unless YOU are riding the AC (which is not the situation in the OP).
|
Actually, the rules seem to disallow it - see my post above: the AC is either too big to share your space or too small to reach an adjacent square. If you somehow fix those issues, like having a tiny companion with reach, or YOU are tiny, or some other way to share space with a small (or larger) companion, then it should not be a problem.
Arguably, Ride might be a solution but not at my table, unless YOU are riding the AC (which is not the situation in the OP).
the previously mentioned "undersized mount" feat solves one of those problems.
|
A small creature occupying the same square as you will create squeezing penalties which aren't normally available to select by choice, only when forced to share a square due to circumstances.
However it's a valid strategy under other circumstances. A psuedodragon is tiny enough to sit on a shoulder but still had reach with its tail stinger to attack into an adjacent square.
My GM allowed him to take an aoo and threaten while sitting there without shenanigans like ride skill. Otherwise I can claim he's hovering in my square with the same end effect. He threatens and attacks from my square.
Otherwise a small creature in your square will create squeezing penalties.
Good call on the pesudodragon. It's a tiny creature with a 5' reach (which is an unusual exception as I mentioned as one possibility in my initial post).
In this case, the pseudragon can stand on its own feet in your square (as long as you're Medium or larger) and attack enemies in adjacent squares with its tail/sting attack.
Can it ride on you and still do this? I don't think there are clear rules for that. Assuming you're standing still, I see no problem, but if you're engaging in melee, attacking, thrusting, slashing, dodging, ducking, bobbing, weaving, etc. (all the usual melee antics), it seems like this would make it very hard for your riding pseudodragon to manage any attacks - but that's just my impression, not backed by rules.
I know of no rules regarding this, though arguably we could get that rule quoted above requiring the pseudodragon to make a ride check at -5 because you're an unsuited mount, and possibly suffer the usual consequences for a failed ride check. I could argue for that in the rules. Or just not worry about it and let you do it.
I expect most GMs would allow the pseudodragon to perch on a shoulder, simply because mechanically it really is't any different than if hovering right near you, which it can do with ease.
Basically, unless you are getting some mechanical advantage, I think you could fluff it all you want.
I had a player who shape shifted into a tiny animal. He wanted to ride on another player's shoulder so he could use the other player's movement and then get a full attack.
I used the mounted combat rules to say that if his "mount" moved more than 5 feet, he could only take a single attack.
I had a player who shape shifted into a tiny animal. He wanted to ride on another player's shoulder so he could use the other player's movement and then get a full attack.
I used the mounted combat rules to say that if his "mount" moved more than 5 feet, he could only take a single attack.
Sounds like a good call. Just curious, how was he attacking out of his own square as a tiny animal?
|
|
Sounds like a good call. Just curious, how was he attacking out of his own square as a tiny animal?I had a player who shape shifted into a tiny animal. He wanted to ride on another player's shoulder so he could use the other player's movement and then get a full attack.
I used the mounted combat rules to say that if his "mount" moved more than 5 feet, he could only take a single attack.
It's easy, he had the viper wrapped around his wrist, and when he attacked with his fist, the viper's readied action to bite went off. (sarcasm)
It's easy, he had the viper wrapped around his wrist, and when he attacked with his fist, the viper's readied action to bite went off. (sarcasm)
It worked for young Indiana Jones on the train at the beginning of the Last Crusade.